FUNDAMENTALS OF MANAGEMENT(Published by PEARSON PRENTICE HALL)Beyond Components: Altruism in the Electronics IndustryCan you imagine clicking on to your distributor’s Web site to get a quote on electronic components and being greeted with free $20 gift cards to The Home Depot or L.L. Bean; or a meal at the Olive Garden? Well, if Massachusetts-based Beyond Components is your distributor, that may be just what awaits you. And the extras don’t stop there. Beyond Components has earned a reputation in the electronics industry for honesty, fairness, and attention to detail. President and CEO Lou Dinkel feels “it’s doing all the little things better” that sets his company apart.

Michael McLean, senior buyer ar Carlo Gavazzi Mupac, Inc. relies on Beyond Components for timely delivery of transformers, switches, and cooling fans that are essential to its assembly process. He knows that in a crunch a sales representative would be able to hop in a car and get parts to him within 15 minutes. Unlike other distributors, Beyond Components has eight strategically located, fully stocked warehouses. All that inventory translates into huge savings on both shipping costs and time for clients.

When Lou Dinkel started Beyond Components in 1987 he wasn’t sure he would succeed, but he had the grit to stay true to his own beliefs and ambitions. He describes himself as having arrived in Boston from rural Minnesota a “pie-eyed 23-year-old, fresh out of a small Catholic college and filled with big dreams.” In the idealism of his youth he made many mistakes. He thought he could turn people into the right kind of employees by sheer determination. Experience taught him to hire people with “a great attitude, the willingness to make an effort, and talent, in that order. On principle, he never hires from the competition and never steals customer lists. Beyond Components is committed to promoting rank-and-file workers to management positions.

Often acting as a coach to his 75 employees, Dinkel tries to create an environment that empowers people to thrive. He acknowledges the ideas and contributions of his employees and values their time as he does his own. Ultimately, he feels it is he who must serve his workforce and not the other way around. “I’ve just begun to travel again, after being away from the road for five years.” he says. “If my people are going to succeed, I have to go out on the road and present my vision to our customers.” Even in a tough economy he has been able to avoid layoffs, turn a profit, and fulfill his pledge of gratitude to society for his good fortune. Ten percent of the organization’s profits are donated to children, and unwed teen mothers.

The same core philosophy that Lou Dinkel held as a youth comprises Beyond Components’ credo today. It includes being the most honest and ethical company in the industry, promoting men and women equally, encouraging employees to earn college degrees, and keeping employees until retirement.

Lou dinkel has stayed true to his dream, and in so doing has surpassed it.